Get me out of this box

July 3, 2017

Lately I feel like I am stuck in a box and I can’t seem to get out. No matter what I do or how hard I try I can’t seem to get out. It feels like an invisible soundproof cube that I have been stuffed in, and the worst part is that I have put myself in there.

And I wonder if others feel so too.

I work in advertising. And as an advertising art director you literally gets paid to come up with ideas. Daily. It does not stop. You go and you play the part. You do the pitch. You start the campaign and you rock n roll. Excitement and buzz. I am good at this thing. And I get paid to do this one thing. Easy right? Easy for me. It comes naturally and I feel at home. I know the inns and outs. How far I can push the envelope.

But you know what is hard? Being boxed in on a personal level. The professional box thing can be frustrating, of course, but it “should” also be embraced. And I just can’t do that today.

Personally, however, the box thing is be seriously stifling. Life is about the journey and growing as a person, which means you are entitled to evolve but it’s very difficult to thrive when the universe seemingly won’t allow you. Sometimes I feel like shouting that I am more than a mom. I am more than a taxi driver of kids, the medicine lady and more than the maker of school lunches, the do-er of dishes and the cook in charge of supper.

The only permanent thing in this life is change and we should be encouraged, acknowledged and celebrated for that change. Unfortunately that’s not always the case. If you depict yourself as the quiet one, the loud one, the nerd, the rebel, the healthy mom, the hippie, the whatever other societal category you fit in at one point of time, you can find yourself stuck with that label long after it no longer represents who you are.

We’re human…we grow, we change, we evolve, hopefully for the better but it’s difficult for those who knew the old you to fully embrace the new and improved you without holding on to past stigmas. We are responsible for putting ourselves in these boxes initially but once we’re in them, it feels like we’re kicking and screaming for people to let us out to no avail. So what do we do? How do we get out?

Keep on keeping on, I think. Keep doing you, growing and improving bit by bit ever day. Communicate that to others through our actions and be patient while they slowly let you out of your box. Also, acknowledge that you keeps others in boxes too and try to be aware of and compassionate towards the growth and change they are making. We are quick to complain about our boxes.

Maybe part of the key to getting out of them is helping to unlock those of others. Hence the start of my journey as a doula…